Raqa remains in ruins one year since recapture from IS

Exactly one year since US-backed assault ousts jihadists from Syrian strong-hold, Raqa remains clouded in rubble.

Wednesday 17/10/2018

Rights group Amnesty International estimates around 80 percent of Raqa was devastated by fighting

RAQA - All day, dinghies cross the Euphrates River to shuttle residents into the pulverised cityscape of Syria's Raqa, where bridges, homes, and schools remain gutted by the offensive against the Islamic State group.

Exactly a year has passed since a blistering US-backed assault ousted the jihadists from their one-time Syrian stronghold, but Raqa -- along with the roads and bridges leading to it -- remains in ruins.

To enter the city, 33-year-old Abu Yazan and his family have to pile into a small boat on the southern banks of the Euphrates, which flows along the bottom edges of Raqa.

They load their motorcycle onto the small vessel, which bobs precariously north for a few minutes before dropping off passengers and their vehicles at the city's outskirts.